Five Tips: Spotting a Potential Innovator

Many companies are eager to hire young talent with potential to be innovators, but it’s not always easy to differentiate them in a single interview. Ya-Qin Zhang, chairman of Microsoft Corp.'s Asia-Pacific R&D Group, offers some tips.

Mr. Zhang oversees Microsoft’s R&D center in China, the tech giant’s biggest research center outside the U.S. with more than 3,000 engineers and scientists.

Speaking on a panel at The Wall Street Journal’s Unleashing Innovation conference in Singapore, Mr. Zhang said when he sits down for an interview, he first looks to see if a candidate shows intellectual curiosity.

Next on the list: whether the candidate has a visible “creative spark,” ability to simplify an abstract idea, and depth and focus.

Another important trait: The ability to take calculated risks.

Mr. Zhang says his five tips were sparked by co-panelist Hal Gregersen, professor of Innovation and Leadership at INSEAD. Mr. Gregersen has talked to top leaders of more than 100 of the most innovative companies for hints on what they have done differently.

In his book, ”The Innovator’s DNA,” he outlines five skills he has seen in innovative leaders – they associate seemingly connected things, question more frequently, observe intensely, network with a diverse group of people and experiment constantly.